Meet Esther Cañadas’ Children: Galia Santina Cañadas and Maxine Gibernau

Esther Cañadas, born on March 1, 1977, in Albacete, Spain, is a legendary Spanish supermodel and actress who rose to international fame in the 1990s and early 2000s.

Known for her blonde hair, piercing blue eyes, and statuesque 5’10” (1.78 m) frame, she walked the runways for top fashion houses including Chanel, Versace, Gucci, and Calvin Klein.

She also made her mark in acting, starring in The Thomas Crown Affair (1999) alongside Pierce Brosnan and Rene Russo.

Cañadas began modelling at just 14 after leaving school, encouraged by her mother to pursue fashion instead of her original dream of becoming a criminologist. Her career took her from Spain to Barcelona, Milan, and eventually New York, where she became one of the most sought-after models of her era.

Her personal life has often been in the spotlight. She was married twice—first to Dutch model Mark Vanderloo (1999–2000), whom she met during a DKNY photoshoot, and later to Spanish MotoGP rider Sete Gibernau (2007–2008).

She has two daughters: Maxine Gibernau, adopted in 2004, and Galia Santina Cañadas, born December 20, 2014. She was briefly linked to David Beckham in 2003, engaged to hotelier Vikram Chatwal in 2013 (an engagement later called off), and since around 2020 has been associated with Spanish engineer José Barea.

In the mid-2000s, Cañadas faced serious health challenges after being diagnosed with vasculitis, an autoimmune disease that forced her to step away from modelling for more than a decade. During this period, she relocated to Mexico, embraced motherhood, and built a quieter, more private life.

Today, at 48 years old, she remains recognized as a fashion icon by platforms like Models.com, but she places her greatest pride in raising her two daughters while keeping their lives as private and natural as possible.

Galia Santina Cañadas

Galia Santina Cañadas, born on December 20, 2014, in Madrid’s Ruber Clinic, entered the world weighing 3.4 kilograms and measuring 50 centimetres—a healthy arrival that came at a pivotal moment in her mother’s life.

Cañadas, then 37, had retreated from the public eye amid her health struggles, making Galia‘s birth a beacon of hope and renewal. The newborn weighed 3.4 kilograms and measured 50 centimetres at birth, arriving via natural delivery.

The identity of Galia‘s father has never been disclosed, a deliberate choice by Cañadas to protect her daughter’s privacy amid speculation that swirled in tabloids shortly after the announcement. Now 10 years old, Galia—often affectionately called “Galia Santina” in media references—has grown into a “very special and observant” child with “enormous sensitivity,” as her mother describes her.

Cañadas has spoken glowingly of their bond, noting how Galia “notices everything” and teaches her something new every day. The duo shares a close, almost symbiotic relationship, with Galia frequently by her mother’s side during family outings.

In 2021, paparazzi captured tender beach moments in Ibiza, where a then-6-year-old Galia splashed in the waves alongside Cañadas and her partner, the Valencian engineer José Barea, whom she’s been seen with since at least 2020.

Earlier photos from 2015 show a toddler Galia, her face pixelated for privacy, strolling hand-in-hand with her mother on the same sun-kissed shores. Galia‘s presence has profoundly influenced Cañadas‘ career resurgence.

After a decade-long hiatus, the model returned to the runway in 2020, crediting her daughter as the driving force. “I feel like this comeback is something I owe to my daughter,” she told Telva in 2022, when Galia was 7. “I want her to witness what my career was and is.”

By 2025, as Cañadas walked the Madrid Fashion Week catwalk in February, Galia—now a pre-teen—had reportedly expressed interest in joining her mother’s world, saying she wanted to “come to everything” after seeing photos and videos of the shows.

Whether Galia will follow in her mother’s footsteps remains to be seen, but Cañadas ensures her exposure is gentle and age-appropriate, fostering a sense of curiosity rather than pressure.

Maxine Gibernau

Maxine Gibernau represents an earlier, equally heartfelt chapter in Cañadas‘ life as a mother. Adopted in January 2004, when Cañadas was just 26 and at the peak of her modelling fame, Maxine became part of the family during a time of transition.

The adoption occurred shortly after Cañadas‘ high-profile marriage to French model Mark Vanderloo ended in divorce in 2000, following a whirlwind romance sparked on a DKNY photoshoot set.

Maxine carries the surname Gibernau, linking her to Cañadas‘ second husband, MotoGP rider Sete Gibernau, whom she married in 2007 and divorced in 2008 after a year of marriage.

Born around 2003 or earlier, Maxine would be approximately 21 or 22 years old, likely navigating young adulthood out of the public eye. Sources confirm the adoption but offer little else, emphasizing Cañadas‘ role as a devoted parent from the start.

During her health challenges in the 2000s and 2010s, Maxine was part of the family’s relocation to Mexico, where Cañadas focused on healing and raising her children away from the industry’s glare. Though Maxine rarely appears in the media, Cañadas has alluded to her in broader reflections on motherhood.

In a 2022 interview, she mentioned her “two children” while discussing her return to work, underscoring how both daughters anchor her life. Maxine‘s adoption speaks to Cañadas‘ early commitment to family, predating her biological motherhood and her brief engagement to hotelier Vikram Chatwal in 2013, which ended quickly.